المستخلص: |
Following an interpretive-constructivist research position, this study aimed to ascertain the range of beliefs that EFL student teachers studying in Madinah Munawarah Teachers College. saudi Arabia subscribe to and hold about Language learning. It also aimed to ascertain the impact of the EFL teacher education programme on student teachers' beliefs about language learning. Horwitz's Beliefs about Language Learning Inventor) (BALLI) was used and followed-up by semi-structured focus group interviews. The inventory was administered to all beginning (Level I) and leaving EFL student teachers (Level 8) enrolled in the programme. Quantitative data analysis of the inventory indicated that the two groups of student teachers differed in their beliefs concerning the five areas constituting Horwitz’s DALLI. The follow-up focus-group interviews, which were conducted with samples (8 students each) drawn from each level aimed to ascertain how genuine these differences are, hence the impact of teacher education programme. Qualitative data analysis indicated that student teachers beliefs in both groups are originated in norms of culture. The findings carry implications for EFL teacher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Recommendations for future research are posed.
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